Journalism Ethics

In class, we watched a clip from The Daily Show where Jon Stewart mocked CNN's approach to journalism. Stewart particularly highlighted the fact that reporters today, in their rush to be the first to get news out, often get things wrong.

There are countless examples of this, but one of my favorites is KTVU's huge on-air blunder this summer. While reporting on the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash, they announced what they believed to be the names of the four pilots on the plane. Unfortunately, the news station had not checked their sources. When read phonetically, these names became offensive, racial puns. It was an obvious prank--one that the news team would have detected if they had been less concerned with being the first station to come out with a piece of "big news" on the developing story.

Although hilarious, it was a huge blow on the station's credibility. Luckily, KTVU issued a sincere apology and handled the situation extremely well. But in journalism, it's always better to be preventive than penitent.

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It is essential for journalists to be accurate. But even more than that, it's essential to report with integrity. In their book "The Elements of Journalism," authors Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel write:

"Every journalist, from the newsroom to the boardroom, must have a personal sense of ethics and responsibility--a moral compass."

Amen to that, boys.

*This week, I commented on Liesl's blog!

The Government's Deep Dark Secrets Revealed

Are people that leak government secrets heroes or traitors? That may be one of the most controversial issues of our time--second only to the great Team Edward v. Team Jacob debate. (On that note, I'm Team Dude Who Hit Bella With His Car).

Last week in class, we discussed the Pentagon Papers. In 1971, a man named Daniel Ellsberg gave information to The New York Times containing details on the United States' role in Indochina and thousands of pages of sensitive government documents. If you'd like to take a peak, a portion of the original Pentagon Papers can be found here. 

Ellsberg is certainly not the only person to blow the whistle. Other well-known examples include Bradley Manning and Julian Assange of WikiLeaks fame (Check out this trailer for the new WikiLeaks movie The Fifth Estate....Benedict Cumberbatch for the win) and more recently, Edward Snowden. A former CIA and NSA employee, Snowden released classified information on government surveillance programs. As a result, he's fled the country and has been both condemned as a traitor and hailed as a hero. So, what should we think of people like Ellsberg, Manning, Assange and Snowden? 

Image retrieved from http://robrogers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/061313_Traitor_or_Patriot.jpg

This question stumped me for a bit. Then I came across a Forbes article  which I found very interesting. It said that we need to stop focusing on if these people are "good guys" or "bad guys." Instead, a good word for them is pioneers. 

"Snowden and Manning -- whether traitors or heroes or neither -- should rightly be regarded as the first arrivals of the wave still to come." 

Digital security is fighting a losing battle and these leaks are only the tip of the iceberg. That's the important issue at hand. 

*For extra credit this week, I commented on Alex Clark's blog post.

Who Journalists Work For

Journalism's first loyalty is to citizens.

In class last week, we discussed the question, "Who do journalists work for?" Frankly, that's a bit of a loaded question. Journalists face a great deal of strain from outside forces. They are under pressure from their sources, media owners, advertising agencies, their families and the government, to name a few. They often face bribes and threats. Yet, there is a certain sense of independence that is unique to journalism. At the end of the day, journalists do not work for their employers. They report for those who are watching their programs and reading their articles. Ultimately, they work for the public.

Image retrieved from http://www.thenewsmanual.net/Manuals%20Volume%203/volume3_58.htm

Eugene Meyer purchased The Washington Post in 1933. Although he was inexperienced with mass media, he had a strong set of principles which he used to run the newspaper. 

Meyer expressed these principles, saying, "The newspaper's duty is to its readers and to the public at large, and not to the private interests of its owners. In the pursuit of truth, the newspaper shall be prepared to make sacrifices of its material fortunes, if such course be necessary for the public good."

Many in the business consider this view to be old-fashioned and idealistic. And that's exactly why the news has suffered such distrust from the public in the last few decades. Journalists need to start believing in the "public service" aspect of their job again.

Yes, it's scary to think about who will be paying for journalism in the future. But if journalists do their job and remain loyal to the public, I think they'll find that that loyalty will be returned to them. 

*For extra credit this week, I commented on Cara Wade's blog :)

Professional Speaker Assignment: Art Rascon (Extra Credit #3)

An Emmy Award winning reporter spoke on the importance of utilizing the gospel of Jesus Christ in a communications career.

Art Rascon, news anchor in Houston for the American Broadcasting Company, delivered a lecture Thursday at BYU after receiving the 2013 Alumni Achievement Award from the university’s College of Fine Arts and Communications.

He told his audience that his faith in God as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has helped him in his career as a journalist.

“God can make more of you than you can ever make of yourself,” Rascon said. “You must always be open to the direction of the Spirit.”

Rascon has covered conflicts for 28 years. He has reported major events such as Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in Indonesia, the Virginia Tech shootings and the war in the Middle East. During his lecture, he gave several examples of instances during his career when he and his team were protected by following promptings from the Holy Ghost.

Rascon said he believes that it is also the responsibility of communications professionals to help others. “We live in a world that is filled with speculation, with problems and with confusion,” Rascon said. He emphasized that as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ, everything he does in disseminating information should be directly related to the gospel.

“Communications has the greatest and most profound effect on people throughout the world,” Rascon said. “What are we doing in our lives to ensure that…it will help influence people for good and not for evil?” 

Extra Credit Speaker Assignment #2 -- J.B. Haws

A BYU professor praised the media attention that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been exposed to in recent years.

J.B. Haws, an Assistant Professor in BYU’s Department of Church History and Doctrine, delivered a lecture on the university’s campus Thursday. In his address, he discussed the history and the current state of public affairs in The Church of Jesus Christ.

When questioned about the present state of public opinion concerning The Church of Jesus Christ, Haws stated that he is “hopeful” for the future and he said he believes that the organization has “articulate leaders” who will be able to overcome potential stumbling blocks in public opinion.

“All things considered,” Haws said. “It is a victory to simply be in the conversation.”

The professor acknowledged that the public perception of the organization has not always been positive. At the same time, he commended the efforts of the church’s different publicity teams over the years.

In particular, Haws celebrated the Homefront commercials produced by The Church of Jesus Christ between 1972 and 1983. These advertisements promoted the importance of the family and won numerous national awards. By 1976, The Church of Jesus Christ estimated that these commercials had received $31 million worth of free radio and television time.

“Perhaps no other initiative did more to link Mormonism to family values than did Homefront,” Haws said.

Other publicity boosts for The Church of Jesus Christ that Haws mentioned include the church’s pavilion in the New York World’s Fair from 1964 to 1965, the presidential campaigns of both George and Mitt Romney and, of course, the Osmond family. 

What Do Journalists Owe Their Audience?

In class, we discussed the need for journalists to commit to truth and verification so that they can avoid reporting something like this:

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To ensure accuracy in reporting, I would recommend three steps:

1. Rely on your own reporting. It is more important to have an accurate story than to be the first to report it. For journalists, it is crucial to get to the site of an incident, ask questions and record the answers that they discover. Piggybacking off of other reporters' stories will only lead to trouble.

2. Double-check your facts. All journalists make mistakes, but it is so much better to catch them before a story is released, rather than cleaning up the aftermath. Consider when NPR broke the news that congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords had been shot and killed in 2011. It made for a good story. The only problem? Giffords did not actually die. Although the news team quickly fixed the error, the false report spread like wildfire via social media. NPR did not double check their sources and they suffered for it.

A more recent example is that of the Navy Yard massacre last month. Some of the left-wing press were so excited to advance their anti-gun agenda, they did not check their facts as carefully as they should have. They reported that the attacker used an AR-15 assault rifle, the same one used in several other recent mass shootings. Unfortunately, this information was untrue. You can see Bill O'Reilly berate these reporters in this clip. 

3. Make sure that you tell the whole story. It is the job of a journalist to look at what they are writing about from all angles. Chicago TV newscaster Carol Marin taught, "When you sit down this Thanksgiving with your family and you have one of the classic family arguments-whether it's about politics or race or religion or sex-you remember that what you are seeing of that family dispute is seen from the position of your chair and your side of the table. And it will warp your view, because in those instances you are arguing your position...A journalist is someone who steps away from the table and tries to see it all." (Kovach & Rosenstiel, Elements of Journalism, p. 110)

Mark Twain said, "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." Reporters need to be responsible. They should never allow a lie to outrun the truth.

* For this week's extra credit, I commented on McCall Mishler's blog from class!